Hello! My name is Matthew Kim, and I am a current undergraduate senior at the university of California, Santa Cruz. I will be graduating in the spring of 2023 with a studio art emphasis on printmaking, and a film and digital media degree + integrated critical practice concentration.
Inspired by the past and how it has shaped our present, much of my work revolves around portraiture and the manipulation of portraits through my mediums.
There exists a notion that respect in art must be earned; be it through skill, time, or simply age. Growing up as the youngest of four siblings, I was regularly surrounded by adults and peers that were often years older than me. I had to constantly prove myself as a child– advocating for my own interests and opinions and arguing for the validity of my hardships and emotions in spite of my young age.
My work engages with this childhood advocacy through a reflection of nostalgic material; family photos, trinkets, childhood toys, and origami given a new life through the alternative processes. By giving a new life to nostalgic and past materials, my hope is that memory can be revisited with a new light– understanding the value of being present, and being aware of how someone exists within a specific time period.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
University of California, Santa Cruz — Film and Digital Media ICPC + Studio Art (3.92 GPA)
Fall 2019 - PRESENT
Integrated Critical Practice Concentration for Asian American Film studies, sponsored by Professor L.S. Kim UCSC FDM
Irwin Scholar, UCSC Art Department, 2023
Exhibitions and Awards
“My Neighbor Joe” (2022) Official Selection at the Huntington Beach Art Center’s Emerge photography show
Art's Dean Grant for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (March 2022) For the film BUTTERFLY BANDAID
"Paper!" (March 2023) Solo Exhibition at the Sesnon Underground
"Untitled" (May 2023) Irwin Scholars Exhibition, Sesnon Art Gallery
Eduardo Carrillo Group Exhibition, (May 2023)
Work experience
Gallery Intern, The Institute of Arts and Sciences, UCSC
Fall 2021 - PRESENT
Distribution Assistant to the Dean of the Arts, UCSC
Distributor for the documentary feature film 80 YEARS LATER
Fall 2022 - PRESENT